Who to Watch Out For in the NBA's East

As we approach the end of January, there are a couple of teams that have been under performing. However, in the East, there is no team more disappointing than the Toronto Raptors. A hopeful 50 win club as of January 24th is 17-28 (only 2-7 in against their division) which puts them 13th in the Eastern Conference.

After firing coach Sam Mitchell, the Raptors have gone 9-19. However, the Raptors have been plagued with injuries to their two leading scorers in addition to the recent injury of Kris Humphries.

Fortunately, for the Raps, both Jermaine O'Neal and Jose Calderon have returned and in Jose's first game back, he shot 9-10 from the field, 4-4 from the charity, scored 23 points and dished out 10 assists with NO TURNOVERS. All of this in less than 30 minutes, not to mention in his first game back. For all the "Harris should be starting in the all star game" writers, Calderon would make just as good of a case if it wasn't for his team's record.

With Calderon, one of the premier point guards back in the roster, in addition to the return of Jermaine O'Neal, one of the most talented post players in the league, the Raptors look to be back in the playoff hunt. This is a team that has beaten Orlando and Houston, two strong teams without both Jermaine O'Neal and Jose Calderon.

With Bargnani also playing his best basketball, and Bosh just doing his thing, the Raptors are a team that the Magic, Cavs, Pistons and Celtics do not want to face in the first round of the playoffs. Call me insane, but I do believe the Raptors will have one of the best records in the second half of the season and inevitably secure a playoff spot in the East.

With the trade deadline looming around, Colangelo is looking to deal the Raptors' big man, Jermaine O'Neal in order to acquire a wing player. There have been trade rumors that the Raptors might trade the seven footer to the Heat in exchange for Marion, but Pat Riley, the Heat President must be convinced that O'Neal's knee won't bother him in the future.

This trade would work out perfectly for the Raptors as the Bargnani is playing well in the Center spot and the Raptors need help in the scoring/defense department. Marion would be an ideal fit for this ball club.

With this trade, the starting lineup would be:

Jose Calderon (PG)
Anthony Parker (SG)
Shawn Marion (SF)
Chris Bosh (PF)
Andrea Bargnani (C)

To me, that's pretty damn deadly.